Pat didn't make the show. No great loss, Glenn, JJ, Ed, and Chad were entertaining the crowd from start to finish. The show was great, such a good vibe coming off the stage for the entire show. I took a ton of pictures at the show, and some from The Kitchen, and some from the first sound check. Here is the link:http://tinyurl.com/3cxnf

If you enjoyed the opening band's show and have time, it would be a boost to the guys if you posted on their forum. I already started a thread titled Velvet Sessions, in the Sonic Playground area.http://www.tatribute.com/message/

As Kat said, Pat Thrall was not missed at all. JJ had a stunning American live debut gig and was simply breathtaking at times - great to see him get the attention he deserves, especially here Stateside

Thanks to Lou Carrier for allowing us to share our movies with you - he once again pulled out all the stops for the GHCP's in attendance

Lots more pix & clips to follow in the next day or so - but here's one more to wet your appetite

PS:
For all of you in Spain, Glenn is on his way right now to the Vina Rock festival that takes place tomorrow in Villarrobledo, where he is the special guest of Rata Blanca - I don't know how he does it - then he gets right back here to Orlando on Sunday for some well earned rest

It was JJ's first open to the public show, but he also did the DVD shoot in LA in Jan. So what are the reasons behind no Pat? I still would have liked to have gone to the show, but now am not so heartbroken that I missed it.

Well, another one of Chip & Todd's great adventures has come to an end. But an adventure it was, and we were glad to be able to share it with some of the usual suspects, and welcome some new GHCP's into our fold - or at least put a face to some names from the board.

I flew from Las Vegas on Tuesday night after work, and Charlton VIP Services was there to greet me. We dropped off my bags at the Charlton Inn, then headed out for the first beer of the weekend at local Phoenix sports pub Copper's. When we got back to Chip's place, we spent some time in the music room - literally an archive of thousands of records, CD's and books that brought a happy tear to my eye. We surfed the GHPG site for the latest posts, I broke a string while trying out a few ill-advised riffs on Chip's guitar and then we retired poolside for some late night tunes. With four hours or so until we had to get up and head out to the airport, we thought it best to turn in. That four hours of sleep felt like minutes.

We were flying non-revenue standby to Orlando, so we had to get creative about our routing. We flew to Chicago, then on to Florida. We checked into the worst Super 8 hotel I think I've ever stayed in, then grabbed a bite to eat at IHOP. (I know, this all sounds glamorous so far, doesn't it? It gets better.) We zipped over to the Hard Rock and bumped into Bill Redford (aka Capt. Midnite 1962, easily identified by the big "GH" emblazoned across his chest), Kenny and Carolyn. They were going to The Kitchen for dinner, so Chip and I opted to kill some time at Emack & Bolio's where we tried a few scoops of Deep Purple Cow ice cream. Not only was it pretty tasty, but it turns out that former high-powered entertainment attorney/ice cream entrepreneur/Emack & Bolio founder Bobby Rook was hanging out behind the counter leading the staff through some ice cream ideology. We sat and listened for awhile, and Bobby offered us a vanilla/Perrier concoction that was quite good. We retired to the Velvet Bar for some drinks. Glenn and some of the band was hanging with a few friends and fans. Tony Little, the Gazelle exercise contraption guru, was at the next table away from us. Eventually a few of us moved outside, where we chatted with JJ and keyboardist Ed Roth. Those two disappeared for a bit of foosball competition, and when JJ returned he joined our little group in conversation that lasted until 3:30am or so. At that point everyone went back to their rooms, while Chip and I returned to the Bates Motel.

The morning of the show, Chip and I checked out of our hotel and within minutes were at the center of a police investigation. The hotel manager had called us a cab, but a free agent driver had pulled in to snag the fare - unbeknownst to us. So the manager and this cabbie were arguing about whether or not he's going to pop the trunk and let us get our bags out so we can wait for the real cab. The police showed up, we got our bags and a few minutes later were on our way to check in to the Hard Rock Hotel. (Ok, it wasn't all that scandalous after all, but police involvement has got to count for something, yes?) After checking in, we ran into Kat by the elevator. With a little time to kill before Glenn's Kitchen session, we walked over to the Universal City Walk then took the water taxi back. We met up with David, the newly-arrived Shirean, Kenny, Carolyn, their friend Mike, Bill, Mark from NY and took our seats at a table for a bird's eye view of Glenn, Chad Smith and executive chef Evan Peresco as they cooked first Glenn's cottage pie and then Chad's scalloped potatos. Quite a sight to see Glenn working mashed potatos into a baking dish with his fingers and Chad peeling carrots. The guys were wearing custom-made cooking smocks, and cracking jokes the whole time. Neither seemed to be out of their element; rather, they were having a good time. A film crew was documenting it all, and a local news affiliate interviewed the guys.

Up until soundcheck around 4pm, Glenn hadn't seen JJ - apparently sleeping off the effects of the prior evening. When he finally showed up, JJ got to fiddle around with one of Hendrix' guitars, courtesy of Hard Rock manager Lou. Our own Kenny also got to hold the guitar for a quick photo opportunity, in exchange for loaning Lou one of Glenn's CD's earlier - very cool! The band spent most of the soundcheck jamming on some funky, freeform improvisations, much like a few of us saw them do at the January DVD shoot. This was a real treat, and something I personally would love for Glenn to add to the end of his next record - an impromptu studio jam! Glenn also let us know that Pat Thrall had backed out of appearing at the event - a disappointment to some degree, but really of no consequence in the end. Pat simply deprived himself of a wonderful opportunity. On with the show.

As showtime neared we all paid our admission, got our goodies and returned to our rooms to change. By the time we returned a fairly good-sized crowd had gathered. The drinks were cold, the bands were gonna be hot and the lobby was swagged out with balloons, swirling air pillars & lights. As Velvet Sessions officially began, wait staff cruised around with hors d' oeuvres like cheese poppers, shrimp skewers, Angus beef chipotle burgers, whitefish/salmon on bread crisps, cod and ham-wrapped asparagus. Opening band Sonic Playground played a TIGHT set of Rush covers and Rush-inspired originals. Immediately after their set a movie screen was raised and Glenn's 1994 live version of "Burn" was played over footage from last year's Velvet Sessions show and the Cal Jam. It was followed by a live performance by Red Hot Chili Peppers at Slane Castle in Ireland. That got us all pumped up for what was coming.

Glenn and the band entered the stage at last, marking JJ's first "official" live gig with Glenn in the US. I, for one, was excited to see what he would dish out. After a false start and a few minutes of technical difficulty, Glenn and the band launched into "Superstition". That was followed by a mixture of spirited Hendrix and Purple songs and "Can't Stop the Flood". JJ's intro to "Mistreated", in particular, was inspired. JJ stepped down from the stage and played right in front of our faces - all the while pulling faces, throwing shapes and tossing out licks like the cocksure dynamo he is. And while he's confident, he's not arrogant - he's really a clown at heart. A great example of this was when he lifted off his guitar and threw it about seven feet away, much to Glenn's surprise and amusement. Glenn really seemed to be at ease with JJ onstage next to him, because he acted as a foil to Glenn's sometimes serious demeanor. One song had a bit of a bluesy jam to it, but something wasn't quite right - I could hear Glenn laugh at the end and say to Ed Roth "What key was that in, anyway?!" The band motored through the set (you've seen the songs listed by David above) and ended with a barnstorming "Stormbringer", fun & sloppy "Burn" and "Funk on the Water". Personally, I could have done without the funky "Smoke on the Water" - it was done best at the Shape 68 debut, and has paled ever since.

After the show we hung out at the Velvet Bar for a few pints. David and Shirean disappeared to some sort of VIP shindig we later rejoined them when Glenn, JJ and Chad Smith held court for pictures and handshakes in the hall. Glenn had to get to bed so he could get up and fly to Spain, and the rest of the band disappeared, but JJ returned to the bar to join myself, Vinnis, new GHCP Andy, Chip, Bill and David for drinks. By evening's end David, JJ, Chip, Bill and myself - a Brit, a Swede and three Americans - became an international music think tank, chatting about HTP, JLT, Uli Jon Roth, the American music scene and rock trivia out on the balcony until 4am. When we finally decided it was time to hit the hay, we all walked together to the elevators, where we exchanged hugs, handshakes and contemplated the next time we'd all see each other. It was a perfect ending to our weekend adventure.

I'm sure I've left a few things out, although you're probably wondering how on earth that could be possible! Chip and I had a great time, as usual, and are already planning another trip east for Bolin Fest in July. Hope to see some of you there!

Bill, Kenny, Carolyn, Mark, Kat, David and Shirean - thanks for making it another special event. I'm glad to know you all.

Vinnis, Mike and Andy - glad to meet you, and I hope we see each other at another GH show!

Oh man!!...what a wonderful time. Todd did a great job telling the story. The first one that involved the police Grace...is there any money left in that Bradford fund? Might need it for bail next time.

Thanks to Lou at the HRH for putting on an excellent event.

Todd, you asked how many shows that made. I know we did a rough count a couple weeks ago at the Vegas show. It has to be at least 20 times.Curious as to how many miles we've logged going to all these shows. Let's not even think about the money spent!!!

I want to say I had a fantastic time with all of the GH "family members" that were there, and meeting the other GHCP from the site for the first time. Hope to see you again at future shows.

Chip

PS Todd....my cd collection looks like there is a few missing......know anything about that?

Between the spectacular pictures from Kat, David and Chip,
plus the writing expertise of Todd (will there be a review at the Fuze?)
"The GHCP - Documentary Division" has done a fantastic job
of "reporting" what we poor folk who weren't able to go (boo hoo)
missed at the Velvet Sessions!!!!!!

Of course, to quote that famous English philosopher, Mick Jagger,
"Too much is never enough."

POST MORE PHOTOGRAPHS!!!!!!

PS.....I loved your t-shirt, Chip.
And I hope that GH didn't steal it from you.
And I'm sorry to report that I spent...oops...
the "Free the Bradford 6" money is in British
Eurodollars, and un-available for Americans
locked up in the hoosgow.

I had a special request to post this photo. It's of our very own GHCP, Vinnis. Here he's shown laying some of that famous NYC rap down on an unsuspecting victim. You know, Vinnis did disappear in the wee hours of Friday morning. I wonder..........

The show was magnificent, and the reviews here did do it justice. One of the finer efforts by anyone I have seen in the past few years. The band really played well together and sounded like they'd been doing this for decades.
You could easily pick out those there to see Glenn and Co., while there were way too many "look at me I am here" types littered into the crowd. Got asked three or four times "who are these guys" by people in the crowd.
Truly enjoyable evening although the NYC prices in the bar were a tad out of whack, and the $9.00 frozen slab of dough called pizza at the Beach Bar is still laying somewhere in my stomach. Would do it again and again though coz it's about the music!!! and the music was wonderful.